Review of Higurashi: When They Cry – Kai

"Higurashi no naku koro ni Kai" is the second series of Higurashi, and it takes over where the previous series left off. Basically, if you watched the first series then you must watch this one too in order to fully understand just what is going in the world of Higurashi. The story gets even better, but I'm not suppose to write any spoilers so I'll only say a couple of things about it. If you thought the first series was twisted, then this series will (pardon me) mindfuck you. It's completely twisted, it will leave you sobbing in a corner questioning your sanity. But isn'tthis what Higurashi really is about? I mean, it's not so much about violence or gore, even though there are a lot of violent and gory elements in it. But in reality it's about drama, tragedy and sorrow. This anime is supposed to make you cry, not feel scared.

Art, well I'm not really going to expand on that. But I gave it a 10/10 because for the stadards of 2007 (the year Kai came out) the graphics are pretty good. Nothing more to add here.

Again, brilliant job done on the music, it fits perfectly with the places and situations in Higurashi. We have a murder scene, and a creepy music starts playing. We have a sad scene, and sad music kicks in. Same goes for comedy, a slight bit of romance, and so forth.

Characters amazing as always. You've learned a lot about them from the first series but that was only a fraction of their real personalities and beliefs. So you can't really predict what they'll do next. It's that kind of mystery and suspence that will keep you hooked to this series right until the end.

Enjoyment? I'd give it a thousand out of 10 if it was possible. As I said in my first review, written about the first series, I don't remember a time when an anime had me so interested in it right from the start. In this series, it's double the fun. Many things are explained but at the same time, many more mysteries await you. It trully is mind-boggling.

Overall, this series, and the whole Higurashi series is a must watch for every true anime fan. Because if you haven't seen this, you're missing out on one hell of a ride.